Mile-High Flirting Promoted by Virgin America Airways

In an attempt to be the hippest airline around, Virgin America is appealing to the mile-high club by offering passengers a new service that lets them send drinks, a meal or a snack to another passenger who catches their eye.

The "seat-to-seat delivery" service, which will be available on all U.S. flights, was recently announced by British entrepreneur and Virgin founder Sir Richard Branson in a tongue-in-cheek video entitled "Sir Richard Branson's Guide to Getting Lucky."

"Just order a drink, meal, or snack. Select his or her seat, and don't forget to seal the deal with a suggestive seat-to-seat chat," Branson says in the video. "I'm not a betting man, but I'd say your chances of deplaning with a plus-one are at least 50 percent."

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Virgin passengers are already able to chat with their fellow flyers though Virgin America's existing seat-to-seat chat platform via its in-flight entertainment system.

Of course, what would happen if the attraction isn't mutual and could potentially lead to a low-level form of harassment, asked CNET's Chris Matyszczyk.

"How I would feel if I received an in-flight text from someone in my proximity to whom I felt no attraction," asks Matyszczyk. "What if I didn't reply? Would he or she stare at me menacingly through the whole flight? Would he or she ask the cabin crew to send me a vodka laced with salt and spittle?"

The CNET creative director wondered "whether the full ramifications of this idea have been thought through to their legal conclusions."

Last September, Virgin debuted $4,000 eye masks as part of its new amenity kits to make the flying experience a bit more enjoyable for well-to-do flyers. The quirky, gimmicky eyewear was decorated with Swarovski crystal.

Less expensive eye masks were also made available to Virgin flyers, reported the Huffington Post.

Headquartered in Burlingame, Calif., Virgin America was launched in 2007 and primarily delivers point-to-point service between major U.S. cities.

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Virgin isn't the only airlines to offer quasi dating services to its passengers.

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines provides its passengers with a "meet and seat" service that allows flyers to choose seatmates based on their social media profiles.

Malaysia Airlines lets Facebook-using passengers see which friends are taking the same flight or visiting a destination at the same time.


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